Little Surfer Dude

A little boy wants to see the ocean, before he can no longer see

Like the ocean, his 4-year-old smile is big and wide, beautiful and bountiful.

Like surfer dudes, he likes his locks long and refuses haircuts.

He is like numerous children you have seen or known, but he is wondrously and woefully different.

The Belton, Mo., resident is being attacked by a rare, genetic disease that is incurable and fatal.

Tadan, however, is no chump. He has a champion spirit, albeit trapped in a deteriorating body, which refuses to surrender. Not now. Not today.

Instead, he and his family arrived Wednesday in Myrtle Beach as part of a journey allowing Tadan to experience life in high definition while facing difficulties most endure over a lifetime, not over four short years.

The brown-eyed boy with brown curly tendrils of hair that gently kiss his face when the wind blows has Vanishing White Matter Disease.

"He is a 4-year-old boy who has not given up," said Todd Foss, his 45-year-old dad. "He's an inspiration."

Known as a type of leukodstrophy, the illness affects the cells of the brain. It impacts the myelin sheath, which is the fatty covering that surrounds and protects nerve cells. Damage to the sheath slows or interrupts messages between the brain and rest of the body.

This disruption leads to problems with movement, speaking, mental and physical development and vision.

Tadan will eventually lose his sight.

Already, he can't walk and he can't use his right side.

Pain is a companion, but you can't tell from the Tadan that hung out on the beach Wednesday and Thursday.

"He is a spunky little fellow," said Jean Pyle, a Hospice nurse who helps care for Tadan. "And that smile, his darling little smile. I love it."

His trip to Myrtle Beach, officially called the 2011 Tadan Tour, was made possible by the Elves of Christmas Present. The anonymous Kansas City-area group organized the trip in about a week and half.

The group's leader, who goes by Chief Elf, said Tadan is a special kid.

"When you first meet him, you will never forget him," Chief Elf said. "He radiates. He is so cute, and he has such a great personality."

The Grand Strand is one of several stops on a tour that has already included a stop at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and ends in Columbus, Ohio.

Tadan's trip to the beach, however, was momentous because he had never before been to the beach.